Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

These gluten-free vegan Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti are made with almond flour and ground pistachios, adding a delicious nutty flavor, and contain dried cranberries for tartness to cut the richness of the nuts.

What Is Biscotti?

Biscotti, which is the Italian plural word for biscotti, refers to a crunchy sweet biscuit, traditionally made with flour, sugar, eggs, and almonds. It is baked as a loaf until solid, then sliced and baked until crunchy. They are usually dipped in a warm beverage such as coffee or tea. Almond flour, ground pistachios, and ground flaxseeds made this a very easy recipe to make gluten-free and vegan.

Natural Green Food Coloring?

How do I make my biscotti so green without any help from dyes? With spinach! And no, it does not change the taste. I even tasted the plain green spinach water and there is no bitterness or any other unpleasantness.

I boil roughly one fully packed cup of spinach in enough water to cover it, about 1 cup. Simmer until the leaves are fully cooked and wilted, then blend until smooth. This creates a rich dark green liquid that I use in place of water, leaving my biscotti a lovely light green color.

How To Make Biscotti?

Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a clean dry food processor or blender, blend your pistachios until as smooth as possible (it’s fine if there are a few larger pieces).
In a bowl, add gluten-free flour, almond flour, sugar, blended pistachios, tapioca flour, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork until fully combined.
Mix butter into dry ingredients with a fork. Add spinach water and flavor extracts, and mix until crumbly dough forms. Fold in cranberries.

Form a long cylindrical log, top with pistachios and cranberries, and press them in slightly so they don’t fall off. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the biscotti log and let cool, then chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Chilling is technically optional, but as the loaf hardens up you will be able to slice it easier and neater.
When the biscotti loaf is done cooling, preheat the oven to 250° F. Slice thinly, and lay slices down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
Turn off the oven and do not open, leaving biscotti to slowly dry out for at least 4 hours. I like to leave mine in the oven overnight. This allows the heat from the oven to slowly suck out all the moisture, allowing you to get that classic dry crunchy texture.
You can dip one end of each biscotti in melted chocolate or carob bar.

How To Eat Biscotti?

Dip it in any warm drink you like, such as tea, to soften it up, or eat it crunchy. With all the nutritious ingredients, I’ve even eaten it as a post-workout snack.

Tips For Making Biscotti:

Use a finely milled almond flour, like Blue Diamond Finely Sifted Almond Flour, for best results and flavor.
You can use raw or roasted pistachios, just preferably unsalted so you can control the level of sodium in your biscotti.
Tapioca starch and flour are the same product with different names, either one you have will be fine. You can also use cornstarch.
Feel free to use regular brown flaxseeds, however, there will be brown specks in the finished product. It will not affect the taste, just aesthetics.
You can use coconut oil instead of butter.
Spinach coloring is tasteless, and therefore optional.
I use Watkins Pistachio Extract because I’m a pistachio flavor addict. If you’re not interested in adding a little pistachio goodness to everything, I also use Watkins Almond Extract instead, and in a lot of other baked goods as well.

How Long Will Your Biscotti Keep?

Once it is very dry, keep it in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other Vegan Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:

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